Free Responsive jQuery Image Sliders and Galleries

Fancy effects, smooth transitions, various fade modes, simple navigation, responsiveness, gracious fallbacks, cross-browser compatibility – all these characterize one of the most essential and commonly used component of the website the slider. Coming with the myriad of configuration options, it is responsible for carrying out only one function – vividly demonstrate your content. Whether it is a set of simple images or dynamic HTML/jQuery box with links and buttons, the slider should clearly highlight it, grabbing as much attention as possible.

Surprisingly, a primitive frame with a couple of arrows and extra bullet-style navigation spiced up with some nice effects serves its purpose quite well.

Today we want to familiarize our readers with our top picks of free responsive jQuery image sliders and galleries that are quite easy to incorporate into a project and configure.

Responsive Sliders and Image Galleries

Create a Responsive Image Slider

Those who seek an easy way of mastering skills of creating a simple yet quite elegant jQuery image slider we offer to take a look at this helpful tutorial that hits the basics of this topic. Though the article is quite old, yet it is still really useful especially for beginners. It doesn’t cover some advanced techniques; on the contrary it concentrates on the fundamentals that will always be relevant. The tutorial unveils essential jQuery techniques that are intertwined with CSS3 principles for providing users with gracious and sleek presentation. It is wisely divided into several “bite-sized” sections that mostly touch upon style and jQuery issues.

However, if you are only up to a component, you can simply download and use it in your projects.

unslider

This is another flexible jQuery slider that skillfully responds to a bunch of devices. Its minimalistic and refined appearance that is nicely impregnated with flat style aesthetics sets the mood and makes your images centerpieces of the design. If you are looking for such features as:

keyboard arrow support;

stylish transitions;

full screen width;

smooth fallbacks for outdated browser versions.

Then you should opt for this component. It will blend into any modern website design and won’t overload it.

bxSlider

bxSlider is an excellent choice for showing off your multimedia content in a compelling manner. Coming with tons of configuration options that allow you to control such aspects as speed, slidemargin, infinite loop etc. and supplied with basic features such as

swipe support for touch screens;

browser support, including a salvatory function for an elegant fallback;

CSS transitions;

several modes for fade effects;

full adaptiveness.

You just doomed to success by putting the slider into practice.

SlidesJS

If you are up to creating a modern and neat website design inspired by flat style then this lightweight jQuery slider (and a part-time slideshow) won’t certainly disappoint you. It doesn’t have any motley decorations only subtle contour-style bullet navigation and ordinary frame for displaying content.

The official website closely familiarizes you with its advantages. The full documentation as well as some typical examples helps to take a full control of it. As usual, the selection of features comprises such fundamental aspects as:

responsiveness;

touch screen support;

CSS3 transitions.

OwlCarousel

Thanks to outstanding support and constant updates, this jquery-based slider will always stay up-to-date and provide users with an excellent experience. Taking a more traditional route of showcasing images, the carousel unobtrusively displays any static and dynamic content. The official website has lots of helpful information both for beginners and professionals; you can check out various examples, clever demos, list of options for customization and much more. So that, you just can’t go wrong with this component.

How to Create an Image Slider using jQuery and CSS3

As the nameplate implies, we are going to learn how to skillfully leverage jQuery and CSS3 in order to create a dynamic frame for pleasantly displaying a set of images. This is an optimal solution for widgets and sidebars. Though at first it looks quite primitive, in fact it has definitely something to offer.

First of all, it was built with a help of free Nivo Slider jQuery Script that has numerous features, so you will discover how to build your own component “on top” of existing one.

Secondly, you will understand the markup hierarchy.

Finally, you will transform a simple plain box with an unordered list of images into a properly-working “logical unit” that will have an appearance according to your preferences.

So if you want to borrow some functionality from free components and quickly implement them into your project, then you should certainly read this article.

Diapo

This is a simple yet well-crafted slider with an option of slideshow that will ideally blend into your corporate website design and will showily demonstrate not only static pictures but also multimedia content such as videos, audio tracks and others. As befits, it is tested on all popular browsers, so you don’t have to worry about the correct display, of course, except for iExplorer that constantly brings some visual inconsistencies. As for functionality, it embraces a wide range of it, including

several methods for controlling slideshow by means of setting parameters such as time delay or orientation;

a bunch of options for those who like a thorough configuration;

numerous parameters for mobile devices.

The slider chiefly brings advantages for those who create commercial products such as websites or CMS themes, since the author lets you almost freely use it as a part of any commercial project. Of course, under “the almost free” the author implies a small donation.

Slicebox – A fresh 3D image slider with graceful fallback

Slicebox is a catchy image slider from Codrops, which main visual driving force is produced by various 3d effects that establish a pleasant atmosphere. The script either delicately slices your images into even parts and forces them to rotate or simply alters images with an accompanying 3d transition. Moreover, the team took care about browser compatibility. So, for example, if iExplorer does not reflect effects correctly, the slider will switch to a fallback.

Though such visual effects seem to be a bit out-of-date, yet there are still lots of creative projects that can easily derive benefits from such type of presentation. The non-static websites are coming back, so do 3d transitions, especially when the whole impact is achieved by means of CSS3 that is always held in high esteem.

Slider Gallery with jQuery

An inventive gallery is at your service. The plugin combines several functional components: the gallery and the slider. The work of this component can be easily divided into 3 main functions. The first one lets you choose between galleries/albums, the second one demonstrates an array of images via basic image slider and the third one displays each item separately through the lightbox. Besides, the component is bolstered by a detailed tutorial that reveals the essence of the issue. So you will be able to learn how to

use fundamental jQuery UI library as well as standard jQuery Easing Plugin;

create a proper navigation and slider controls;

beautify the appearance of the component via CSS3.

And that’s not all; the team hugely delves into Javascript issue, trying to give a thorough and easy-to-understand explanation for every functional part as well as provide its readers with a list of available parameters that you can identify in order to make your gallery look unique.

Thumbnails Preview Slider with jQuery

The idea is to make use of an array of simple thumbnails. The team presents several combinations of different thumbnail sizes and accompanying effects. The component has a simple set of bullets to each of which is attached its own tiny picture. The latter becomes visible when the mouse cursor hovers over the pointer. This approach is widely used in sliders that pursue the goal of making the navigation look more comprehensive and slider more informative.

As usual, the codrops team didn’t leave their users without a proper guide that should walk them through basic steps of creating such element. It, as befits, covers the html markup, the CSS styling, and of course, jQuery filling. The last two have been given a particular attention, since they create a main aesthetics.

Sweet Thumbnails Preview Gallery

This is a logical extension to the previous component. Here, the team showcases how the thumbnail preview slider will contribute to the simple gallery plugin. The advantages of using this component are quite clear, thus it will

enormously enhance visual experience;

reinforce an informative side of the gallery;

make the dot-style navigation less boring;

add an elegant touch to your design.

And if you want to amend the component or become more acquainted with it you can simply read a special tutorial that not only explains how to create such a masterpiece and integrate the previous element into your project but also how to properly control it.

Parallax Slider with jQuery

Do you want to specialize in parallax-based web components that are truly popular nowadays? Then this tutorial was made specifically for you. Although it concerns only a small narrow slider that displays images with a help of horizontal scrolling effect and as a result, recreates a nice perspective, but it uncovers basic techniques that will help you create something really sophisticated. And if you aren’t interested in mining this topic, you just can grab the content and enrich your website with fantastic tool for image presentation.

Portfolio Zoom Slider with jQuery

The creatives will certainly love this jquery plugin, since it is aimed to showily demonstrate artworks and add to portfolio a modern touch. The goal is to provide users with more details concerning images, giving them a chance to zoom in the tiny picture and closely exploring it. After clicking on a thumbnail it is displayed on a full view. The plugin also suggests attaching more than one image to the item. So, it is an excellent option for those who are conservative about free space. Besides, being provided in tandem with an extensive tutorial, it is not only a perfect complement to your website but also a representative example that teach you how to combine and make the most of the existing plugins such as Cloud Zoom and Fancybox.

Rotating Image Slider with jQuery

If you want to make the header section look memorable and unique then you should definitely incorporate this plugin. Its unusual appearance will instantly draw attention to your artworks and demonstrate it with some eye-catching effects.

The advantages of using it are quite obvious:

It will look appropriate both on symmetrical and asymmetrical designs;

It will add a nice stylish geometry vibe;

It will easily grab readers’ attention with its original appearance;

It has a rare mousewheel functionality;

It can be automatically played.

Coming with a helpful tutorial, the rotating image slider powered by jQuery will not only enhance your project but also teach you some new tricks. To be more precise, you will understand how CSS allows creating such original shapes and learn how to achieve a desired effect using pre-made plugins.

Responsive Image Gallery with Thumbnail Carousel

The magic word “responsive” that simply plunges web developers into delight is stated on the nameplate. It means that you don’t have to worry about mobile and tablet friendliness. The plugin does all the work. What is more, the plugin is “two in one” since it combines functionality of a gallery and a carousel, where the first one is used for displaying images, and the second one is for providing a more handy navigation. So that, your portfolio will certainly reap benefits thanks to component’s:

clean and nifty appearance;

responsive behavior;

informative thumbnail carousel ;

extra keyboard navigation;

“wiping”-style navigation for iPad and iPhones.

Image Gallery and jQuery Slideshow – TN3 Gallery

TN3 Gallery is a professional jquery plugin that comes with all the features you expect from such product, despite of being available free of charge. The options are quite diverse, yet we can highlight several essential functions that everyone is looking for. So here they are:

support of video;

integration with popular social media platforms such as flickr or Picasa;

an ability to put images into albums/galleries;

displaying any HTML content;

occupying the whole browser screen for showcasing full view images;

handy navigation via keyboard;

easy customization with a help of pre-defined skins;

responsiveness.

And this is not a complete list of possibilities inherent to the plugin. The author also provides a free version for WordPress that makes it a real treasure.

How to Create a Simple iTunes-like Slider

The slider focuses not only on images but also on a regular content, presenting everything in a visually pleasing manner with iTunes-like appeal. It is provided with an optional vertical image carousel on the right for displaying upcoming items. Initially, the slider works as a slideshow in an autoplay mode; however, you can easily change this simply by setting your own parameters. Moreover, the developer has tried to minimize the slider, so it will take as less space as possible, of course, thanks to a traditional combination of HTML, CSS and Jquery.

In addition, the author provide a helpful tutorial that will thoroughly explain how to create such masterpiece, paying particular attention to event handlers, styling, pseudo elements and much more.

Flickr Photobar Gallery

Mastering the skills of using Flickr API has never been easier with a help of this tutorial and free photobar gallery. The plugin lets you add images from your Flickr photostream. It pulls images on its own and creates an elegant bar on the bottom that consists of thumbnails, letting your users to take a closer look at pictures after clicking on one of them. The advantages are obvious:

it is easy to use;

it is easy to integrate into your website;

it is easy to control and customize;

it looks sleek and nifty;

it doesn’t take up much space.

So it is a perfect solution for photographers and Flickr lovers who constantly update their profiles in online galleries and want to immediately synchronize all the changes with theirs websites.

FlexSlider

The nameplate is obviously derived from the “flexible”, so it means that the team has created not only an excellent and beautiful toolkit for showcasing your content, but also is managed to incorporate a responsive behavior that will solve lots of problems concerning correct display on various mobiles and tablets. Besides, being created by WooThemes, that is famous for its feature-rich cms themes, it’s no wonder that the plugin has a wordpress-based “congener”. So if you seek a slider with:

cross-browser compatibility;

smooth transitions and elegant fade animations;

touch swipe support;

custom navigation options;

simple semantics;

easy customization.

Then you should definitely take a look at it.

Glide.js

Much like Unslider, the Glide.js bets on subtle line-style graphics and minimal decorations that make it an ideal companion for online galleries and portfolio websites, which focus online audience on images rather than on content or graphics. It deliberately takes up the whole browser screen, so your artworks won’t go unnoticed. It always looks good regardless of the device on which it is displayed thanks to inherent responsive behavior. And to all the above, the fully commented files are really easy to modify in order to give the slider a unique look.

Slit Slider

Slit Slider is able to quickly engage your readers with its small yet highly eye-catching and memorable twist that cuts the image into two halves and moves them away, revealing the next item. The slider with an option of slideshow is regularly modified and updated according to current web requirements, so you will always stay ahead. The key features that are always interested website owners such as flexibility, cross-browser compatibility and easy configuration are also included.

Full Width Image Slider

The user-friendly image slider from Tympanus won’t bloat your header section with unnecessary clutter; it will just intensify your images. Smart, plain yet eye-catching, it will add simplicity to your project, and at the same time, heighten a sense of refinement. So, how can this jquery-driven slider please a regular website owner? Of course with its features that allows affecting images on such way as:

stretch them on a full screen width;

graciously scale them down to popular device screens;

spice them up with magnificent CSS3 transitions.

Simple Multi-Item Slider

“Multi-item” is a key word here. It enables you to effectively leverage the slider in various e-stores that are full of products that need to be showcased in a range. It vividly reminds a carousel-style presentation. Having a minimal design that is skillfully combined with powerful CSS3 animations and jQuery essentials, it has a quite primitive, unremarkable appearance; however it’s quite a thing for overloaded websites that try to foist goods, leaning more toward visual impact.

StackSlider: 3D Image Slider

The slider is tailored to fun. Coming with a lovely 3d feeling and some catchy twists, it will definitely become a highlight of your project, which in addition is aimed to place your multimedia content on a prominent place. The whole magiс of 3d flipping through the images happens thanks to CSS3 and jQuery. Moreover, even despite of being quite experimental and pursuing an entirely different goal, the team has made it fully responsive, making it suitable for modern websites.